What Sticks to Teflon?

Discovery

• The discovery of Teflon was completely unplanned. Researchers at DuPont were studying refrigerants, ways of making things cold, when they accidentally created an entirely new polymer. The properties of this new polymer held great potential. The polymer seemed to be indestructible, it was slippery, and had an extremely high melting point. While initially adapted for military use, the polymer was patented and registered under the trademark name Teflon in 1944.

Nonstick

• The nonstick property of Teflon is what makes it so popular for cooking today. This property is also what made it difficult to adapt Teflon for its use in cooking. Because Teflon has such a high melting point, it could not itself be molded into pots and pans. Further, due to its nonstick property, attaching the Teflon to existing pots and pans presented a challenge. How exactly do you stick something that does not stick to something else?

Initial Attempts to Stick Teflon

• Early attempts to attach Teflon to other materials included etching the surface of the Teflon with solvents. These solvents extracted some of the fluorine atoms from the Teflon, which created a surface to which adhesives could bond. Another method blasted the surface of metal pans to create a texture to give the slippery Teflon molecule something to brace against.

Sticking Teflon Today

• The process of sticking Teflon to pans today consists of applying Teflon in layers. The first layer of Teflon contains a "sticky" molecule additive that adheres to the metal pan and to the nonstick Teflon. This first layer acts like the primer used in painting. A middle layer is then applied, followed by the tough, nonstick top layer.